Nubia Z80 Ultra Review: Under-Display Camera Flagship Worth Buying

In today's high-end smartphone market, the competition is often not just about product capability, but also about noise. Whoever has a more exciting launch event, whoever markets more aggressively, is more easily seen. But some phones simply don't take this route — they don't push for presence, and they don't blanket the market with advertising, yet they firmly hold their ground through user word-of-mouth, such as the Nubia Z80 Ultra.

To be honest, the Nubia Z80 Ultra is a phone that ordinary consumers can easily overlook. It doesn't carry the massive traffic flow of Xiaomi, Huawei, Honor, or OV, but interestingly, it has long ranked first on AnTuTu's praise rankings, and it has held that spot for half a year. This achievement is actually more convincing than many benchmark scores, because benchmark scores represent the performance ceiling, while the praise rate represents whether users, after actually buying it and taking it home, are willing to endorse it.

More crucially, the 16GB+512GB version of this phone has now dropped to around 4472 yuan. At competing brands, this price often only gets you a standard high-end model, and you'd be hard-pressed to even buy a Pro version. But at Nubia, what you're buying is the Ultra — the complete, fully-configured top-spec flagship. This is also what I find most attractive about it: it doesn't bluff with its name, but genuinely pushes performance, display, imaging, and battery life to a very aggressive position.

What impresses me most about the Nubia Z80 Ultra is that it didn't follow the crowd. Many flagship phones today look increasingly alike — a punch-hole screen on the front, a massive camera module on the back, specifications that look exciting, but when you actually pick it up, you always feel it lacks a bit of personality. The Z80 Ultra insists on an under-display camera, delivering a complete, uninterrupted, hole-free full-screen sky display. For people who frequently watch videos or play games, this kind of complete visual experience is truly hard to go back from. Especially when playing games like Honor of Kings or Delta Force, with no black dot blocking the center of the screen, the sense of immersion is simply different.

In terms of performance, it's also not the type that looks like a flagship but is actually conservative. The fifth-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite, combined with LPDDR5X and UFS 4.1, can achieve a benchmark score of 3.83 million — this is already in the current first-tier level. But what I value more is the gaming performance; it's not the type that scores well in benchmarks but falls apart in games. A certain open-world mobile game ran at nearly full frames at ultra-high settings for half an hour, Honkai: Star Rail can also be kept stable at close to 60 frames, and Honor of Kings runs at 120 frames in almost a straight line — this shows that its thermal management and tuning are truly solid, not just a matter of stuffing a chip in and calling it done.

Imaging is also one of the souls of this phone. Many manufacturers now like to compete on telephoto and push specifications, but Nubia has always insisted on a 35mm humanistic primary lens, which I actually appreciate. The 35mm angle of view is very suitable for street photography — it won't be as exaggerated as an ultra-wide angle, nor as flat as an ordinary primary lens. Shooting people, street scenes, and everyday life, the images have more of a story-like quality. Add to that a physical shutter button — half-press to focus, full press to shoot — this kind of operational feel is a big bonus for people who like to take photos. It's not simply about shooting clearly, but about making you more willing to take it out and shoot.

In terms of battery life, the 7200mAh large battery is also very substantial. Many mid-range phones can be equipped with batteries of over 10,000mAh, because they don't need to pile on in other areas, but in a smartphone body where every inch of space is precious, 7200mAh in a flagship phone is already very impressive. The Z80 Ultra's large battery paired with 90W wired fast charging and 80W wireless fast charging can both last a long time and recharge quickly. For people who frequently go out, play games, or shoot videos, this sense of security is more important than some flashy features.

Of course, there are shortcomings too — for example, the weight of around 227g is destined not to be the favorite feel of those who love thin and light phones; I see that many high-end phones also have heavier bodies, and that's unavoidable. Moreover, the Nubia system is indeed no match for leading manufacturers in terms of brand ecosystem and public recognition. But if you don't worship brands and only look at the product itself, the Z80 Ultra is actually a flagship well worth snagging. It has a complete display, top-tier performance, unique imaging, plus a large battery and high-spec waterproofing, and crucially the price has already been pushed down to the range of many standard flagship models.

All in all, the Nubia Z80 Ultra is not a phone for everyone, but it is very well-suited for people who understand their own needs. If you want a high-end phone that doesn't look like everyone else's, doesn't compromise, can handle gaming, and can also shoot with character, then the Z80 Ultra, now dropped to around 4472 yuan, is genuinely quite tempting. It may keep a low profile, but staying at the top of the praise rankings for half a year is absolutely not luck. Only those who have truly used it know why it has been kept!

The moment you light up the Nubia Z80 Ultra's screen, the visual impact of the 6.85-inch hole-free full display is stunning. 144Hz smooth touch, 7200mAh ultra-long battery life paired with a powerful imaging system — starting at 4999 yuan, you can own this "screen you can never go back from" — it may not be perfect, but it shows what future phones will look like.